Lange, Eskelson compete at cross country state

MEEKER I Caleb Lange, a senior at Meeker High School, and MHS freshman Julia Eskelson represented their school and town at the 2013 Colorado State Cross Country Championships in Colorado Springs on Saturday.
All classifications ran at Norris-Penrose Event Center, and the first race of the day was the 2A girls, which included Eskelson.
“The course at the Norris-Penrose Event Center is fantastic; what one would expect a proper cross country course to be,” head coach Marty Casey said of the race site. “Great trails, big challenging hills, creek crossings and even a finish into the stadium itself.”
Eskelson ran into the stadium and crossed the finish line in 23:09, 32nd out of 83 runners, and Lange finished in the middle, 43rd out of 90, crossing the finish line in 19:22.
“Both athletes were dealing with some nerves pre-race, but they got out there and made some good showings,” Casey said. “Both were really good efforts in such competitive fields.”
This was Casey’s first year as head coach and he was proud of his team, qualifiers and excited about the future.

“It was really great to see Caleb running at the state meet,” Casey said. “He had spent the summer training, worked hard all season and I was happy to see that success in his senior year. We will miss that level of leadership next season.”

“Julia had a great freshman season, with some nice improvements beginning to end,” Casey continued. “I knew she was capable of being a state qualifier, and she did not disappoint. She was one of only a handful of freshman girls in the top 35 at state this year I expect big things from her in the next three years.
“It has been a great season, and I look forward to seeing what our Cowboys can do next year,” Casey said.